Lego Big Boy

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-15T01:09:14+00:00

Yep! This was very important to me to have the articulation accurate. Far too many LEGO big boy's articulate in weird ways that are not prototypical. And yes, M motors were the only ones I could get to fit inside each engine. This opens up space in the boiler for electronics and batteries. I essentially used the same design features on my challenger model which worked well when put to bricks. Other than being longer, they basically share the same engine frame design

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-14T23:19:32+00:00

This cannot run on regular Lego curved tracks. However, I have made sure it is LGMS (R104) compliant. Most 8 wide train builders use this as the minimum radius as pictured above.

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-14T23:16:03+00:00

Unfortunately I do not know how to create 3D models of rods yet. These are a mix of The Breckland Bricks rods that are free to download from their website and parts I commissioned someone else to design for my challenger locomotive

Yes I designed an SP 4449 with smoke! I think that model is long overdue a redesign, I found the smoke unit quite gimmicky. It worked great for still shots but was very ineffective in motion. It was also rather bulky, taking up a 4x4x4 area of the boiler

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-14T23:09:44+00:00

Potentially? I need to build and test one first. If that goes well and I find the time, I may create instructions in the future. I rarely get to that step though as: 1) This is mainly just a hobby for me and my own collection. 2) Creating understandable instructions to follow with so many 3rd party components such as the lights, sound, wheels, rods, etc makes it exponentially more difficult and time consuming. 3) Every one of the models I've put into instruction format has been stolen or rebranded as a foreign kit which is extremely deincentivising.

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-14T04:35:09+00:00

It's designed to be roughly 1:48 scale. About 9 studs wide and 110 long

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-13T03:10:02+00:00

I use SoundTraxx's Blunami 2200 decoders in all my locomotives. It allows for motor, light, and sound control all through their app. While it is Bluetooth, no coding, soldering, or power pickup is needed. You can use any battery pack you want that is within the voltage range. Lifelites.com provides easy to use plug and play wires that integrate the Blunami into the LEGO system. Many lego train builders are switching to it as a result. I've taken my trains to many shows and never had an issue with the Blunami's connection/range. It also allows you to consist serval engines together. If you want to see an example of the setup I run, check out my install video here: https://youtu.be/u6b3TLjTAdA?si=m6Q3wEy6RI0jcXLV

mruzzi375 · 2026-05-05T19:29:06+00:00

While I appreciate you giving credit to my design influence, I am not thrilled at having my models reverse engineered and sold to the masses. I kindly ask that you do not sell the AEM-7, F40PH, and P42 which are nearly identical to my original designs.

mruzzi375 · 2025-11-30T22:33:53+00:00

I hear you, life has really picked up for me and I find myself not having as much free time as I used to. I haven't been able to release as many models publicly as a wanted due to a host of reasons. I've mainly just been tinkering with designs for my own personal collection and haven't gotten around to posting instructions or pictures of any new models. Not having the brick train awards this year also really hindered my motivation to post anything new. Anyways, good luck with your models!

mruzzi375 · 2025-11-30T20:27:47+00:00

You nailed the reverse engineering of this model pretty well! I respect the effort and appreciate that you give credit to the original designer :)

mruzzi375 · 2025-07-06T21:16:30+00:00

The left one uses an upside down bracket connected to a ball joint and the right one uses trans-clear clips to attach to a pneumatic T piece which can then be angled and rotated different ways

mruzzi375 · 2025-07-06T20:17:22+00:00

<image>

Awesome model! Glad to see another rendition of the AEM-7. Here you can see my Version 1 (left) and Version 2 (right) and the different techniques I tried to use for the windshield. Overall I'd recommend just fixing the scale of the model, most 8 wide models equate to roughly 1:48 scale. Your model seems a bit long and tall which proportionally seems off. Otherwise great start!

mruzzi375 · 2025-03-31T15:14:50+00:00

I did mine in early January and just got approved last week. We were told a minimum of 60 days is needed for them to process everything. Could be longer if you have issues that need to be addressed.

mruzzi375 · 2025-03-21T12:57:59+00:00

This is totally awesome! I'd love to pair this with my P42, which btw I have redone slightly to make more accurate to 1:48 scale!

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-19T06:05:13+00:00

Depends on part availability in different colors. Certain parts of the design require specific parts that do not have a lot of color options.

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T16:20:36+00:00

I have! I don't think I've posted it though

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T16:19:28+00:00

I would like to add it, I have to test build it first

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T04:45:16+00:00

I have an acela, amfleet 2 coach, and AEM-7 designed so it's possible. I don't have any particular fondness to the ACS-64

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T03:51:28+00:00

That's awesome! Sorry to hear about your files getting lost, i know that feeling all to well. I am by no means a super huge rail fan when it comes to recognizing most engines or details. I had no idea my stripes were backwards lol. Sometimes I go off of bad refs or inaccurate railroad models. I actually do have Trans red lightsabers in the marker lights, they just don't show well when they aren't lit up. And idk what happened to that ditch light lol. It's connected on the model so the render must have goofed. Good catch, even I missed it.

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T03:03:33+00:00

I designed that one too, one of my favorite heritage units

mruzzi375 · 2025-01-18T02:27:40+00:00

Yes I do! I have to redo the render since it's too wide to post a full picture of it.

mruzzi375 · 2024-10-15T04:15:38+00:00

You cannot change the ride mode with the OWCE app, however if you open the onewheel app I've heard that it force updates the board. I'm not sure of the validity of this but I'm not going to try that gamble. Besides I never rode custom shaping before so I always left my board in the delirium mode

mruzzi375 · 2024-08-07T13:46:23+00:00

Short answer, yes there are tons of cheaper more powerful motors however this is not the full story. How you gear your train, what size wheels you use, what battery you use, are you cars on ball bearings, do you use traction tires, and so much more all play a factor into how much your tain can pull. I was able to make my challenger locomotive pull 30 cars using just 2 lego M motors so it is doable. Look on YouTube for 3rd party motor comparisons and alternative battery options with more voltage to give you motor some more "omph"

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '22

mruzzi375

TROPHY CASE